Cultural

This is the original flag of the 13 original colonies.

Life before the American Revolution consisted of a strong Christian practice and a major influence from John Locke's work for the majority of colonists. Throughout the thirteen colonies there was a clear religious system set in place and mixed philosophical ideologies. The main religion in the thirteen colonies included Christianity and a small minority of Protestantism. These were the main religions because colonists came from England and other parts of Europe with their religious influence. The most influential philosopher at the time which had most of the effect throughout the thirteen colonies was John Locke. John Locke’s influences could be directly seen in the Declaration of Independence and in the future government that the United States would form. John Locke’s written work which included “Of Property” highly influenced the Declaration of Independence and the views of common people. When John Locke said “Every man has a property in his own person. This nobody has a right to, but himself.” (Of Property) he shows how he believes that a government should be for the people and by the people. As the British Parliament was setting up Mercantilism Laws, albeit unenforced, John Locke disagreed with these views and thought of a more democratic form of government which would be better for the people.

John Locke also famously said “The Bible is one of the greatest blessings bestowed by God… and [has] truth without any mixture for its matter.” This quote represents how John Locke famously disliked the idea of religion and fundamentally disagreed with the idea of one religion of the state. Seeing how most political powers in Europe gained their power by stating that they were chosen by god and famously supported certain religions for political advantage, this idea that religion and the government should not be united sparked conflict and seemed very radical at the time. This idea would be seen in the Declaration of Independence in the United States and would be strongly carried even throughout the present. Another aspect of life in the thirteen colonies was their advanced agricultural techniques and their new literary and artistic styles. At this point the thirteen colonies were manufacturing textiles and other objects against the Mercantilism laws which were set in place, albeit unenforced. During the 1600's and the 1700's art and literature changed to adapt the more popular tastes of the people. Up to that period of time most artists worked for upperclassmen who could afford their works. As the middle class emerged in the 1600's the “common man” (E. Ellis) was able to commission artists more often and influenced a rococo (personal, elegant, and charming) style